Support the Republican Party!

Okay, this isn't the usual blog for that sentiment, but hear me out. Especially in light of former Vice President Dick Cheney's comments. But America's strength is in the wide spectrum of its views, and the ability of almost all views to get at least some discussion time in our society.

What makes American politics powerful is the breadth of expressions accepted in our society. It's been wildly across the board: as wild as the Civil War in the 1860s to the frightenly uniform McCarthy Era of the 1950s. The time of the Whigs of the 1830s-1850s, the Wobblies in their heyday of the 1920s. the time of the The Oneida Community (1840s). I believe we thrive when multiple, even conflicting views are part of the general landscape.

America of the first decade of the 21st century has been too monolithic. The conservative conquering of Congress, and then Bush's "election" in 2000 and "re-"election in 2004 gave a very narrow segment of the US population a voice. The fallout from the downfall of this pinnacle is the creation of a chasm. On one side are the religious and ideologues. On another are the social and, on yet another side, fiscal conservatives. The last side of this chasm (which reassuringly resembles a set of mesas in the desert than a single divide) is of the moderate or liberal political and social wings.

The Republican party is in the process of giving birth. Or expelling a demon. It's become so internally polarized that the only clear solution is for it to expel that which poisons it. A Republican party home to a wide variety of religious views would be theoretically far more attractive than the wild-eyed fanatic it's become. (Of course, if Limbaugh's version of secular fanatacism takes the helm, all bets are off!)

But the glimmer of hope to create a fuller spectrum of thought, even as the country makes its next pendulous tilt to the left, is as important as the leftward shift is personally for me.